Leo's Problem
by ladybug28
Summary: For a long time, Leo has been the only one to wield fire powers, but when he meets Leia, he realizes they are one in the same, and Aphrodite has plans for the two.
1. Chapter 1 Leo

Leo's Problem

Chapter 1 Leo

Leo was agitated. It wasn't that it was her fault; he had been kind of out of line when he insulted her mother.  
But she was so irritating. When he'd explained this to Jason, he'd been all, " Well, then she's just like you."  
Which was also pretty creepy, because Leo was definitely unique. " Got that right," Piper snorted. But then again, she'd insulted the entire male species. He didn't know why, all he was trying to do was find Jason. Now that he had he was sorry. Okay, he thought, what did I do to make her so mad?

He'd been walking around New Rome, trying to find him for an hour. This place was huge. It just wasn't fair;  
Camp Half-blood could've fit in this place twelve times. In an instant, Leo smacked into someone coming from the cafe carrying a small cup of coffee. The person yelped as the hot coffee poured down their shirt. " Oh, Gods, I'm sorry!" he said immediately. He picked the cup off the ground, and looked up at the owner.

" You had better be. You're lucky heat has no effects on me, or I'd smack you to Jupiter's Temple!" she growled. She was average height with curly black hair, pulled back into a ponytail. Her frustrated brown eyes were narrowed into slits, and she continued to glare. Her tanned skin glowed in the sunlight. Leo ran his hand through his hair. This chick was super fine, and though she wanted to kill him, her eyes were distracting.

" Sorry," he said again, frowning. The girl's eyes softened, making her irises cozy brown, like his mothers homeade tamales. " It's okay, I guess." she sighed. " By the way, who are you to be walking around looking like a latino elf?" Leo's eye twitched. She did not just... " Leo. Leo Valdez. The Supreme Commander of the Argo II.". Her eyebrow raised. She nodded, impressed. Yeah, he thought, be impressed by my manliness and talents. " It's pretty cool," she nodded. Wait. Pretty cool?" Except that it would have been cooler if there was something painted on the bottom where all of New Rome could have seen it.". Okay, now he was irritated.  
That's what he had suggested to Annabeth. Miss Blonde genius had gone all, It would be embarrassing.

"Anyway," she brought back his thoughts. " I'm Leia Rodriguez, daughter of Caca." Leo thought he was hallucinating. Queso? " Queso? How can you be the daughter of cheese?" he asked without thinking. Leia's eyes flared up. Leo took a step back. " Caca! CA-SA! The Goddess of Fire!" she exclaimed, and her hands burst into flame. Leia's eyes took up an alarmed look, and she crossed her arms, hiding her hands. " No one knows I can do that..." she muttered to where only Leo could hear her. Leo gulped; for a long time, he'd thought that he was the only one who could spontaneously combust. Leia looked at him with pleading eyes." Please, don't tell anyone about that. I'm the only one here who has ever been able to do that. No one knows.".

Leia turned to walk away, but turned back. " Think you could get me another coffee, considering you just emptied mine?" She motioned toward her tank top. Leo cracked a smile. He bought her a coffee, and was just leaving when she called out, " Hey, Valdez, think about that warship painting thing. Just don't do a smiley face, or anything along the lines of 'What's up'!" His eyes widened, and he was wondering how she knew about that. " Sure, Queso, whatever!" he called back.

After he'd gotten back from his encounter with the she-devil, it hadn't been any better. After all this time, he finally found Jason, sitting at a picnic table, conversing with Piper about his Praetorship. Piper's hair was tied back, as it had finally grown out a bit, and she had changed from her hello kitty tank to a Camp Half-blood tee shirt. " Leo," Piper asked as she saw him approaching. " What's wrong? You look irritated. Relax." Her charmspeak flowed over him, but it didn't affect him. " How is anyone that annoying?" he exploded.  
Jason looked at him quizically. " Coming from the person who quote said, ' Bam! You're lightning man-'?".  
Leo wrinkled his nose. Piper slapped Jason's arm, like she was telling him that annoying Leo was getting his own medicine. " Okay, so this chick totally slams into me, and starts yelling at me for dumping her coffee all over her!". He looked at them like he couldn't believe it, while his friends were trying not to crack up.

" Okay, so then she calls me a latino santa's elf! Can you believe that?" he shouted, and at this point Piper had doubled over, laughing. Jason was trying not to, but in the end, ended up roaring with laughter. " Oh,  
Valdez, looks like someone met their match. But what else did you do? You look too mad for only that to have happened.", Piper snickered. Leo mumbled something incomprehensible, then his voice got louder. " She made fun of the Argo II, and I called her mother queso.". They burst out in fits of laughter, and this time he did, too.

" Well, Romeo, who is this girl?" was Piper's next question. ROMEO? She thought Leo liked this girl, which he kind of did. He bit his lip, trying not to growl. " Leia Rodriguez." Jason sputtered out his cherry kool-  
aid (which was always handy do to Dakota's obsession).He looked like he couldn't believe his ears. " Leia insulted you? Aw, man, that's low. Leia is the nicest person in camp. Sarcastic, but sweet." Jason announced.  
Piper had looked down at the ground for a moment, and whispered to Jason. His eyes widened and he looked at Piper for confirmation. She nodded. " GUYS!" Leo yelled. " I'm right here!".  



	2. Chapter 2 Leia

Leo's Problem

Chapter 2 Leia

Leia sat at the cafe table, worried. She'd been pretty mean to that Valdez kid. She regretted blowing up like that. It wasn't his fault; she should've been paying attention. But that guy was just so annoying. And sarcastic, but she noted she was the same way. But still, it was wrong to compare her mother to cheese. Even if her dad made the best. Ca-suh, ca-soh, she could see where he got it from. He must have bad hearing, she thought. Leia took a sip of her latte, and smiled as the warm liquid grazed her throat. That Leo had a nice smile, she remembered. It was cute how the sides of his mouth quirked up... before she had flared up, that is.

She really shouldn't have done that. No one knew about her weird powers over fire, and Leia had intended to keep them secret. She didn't need another thing to make her different. At camp, she was still unique to others.  
First of all, she was the only child of Caca in the camp, plus the fact that she could eerily read people's emotions, didn't help the fact she was a fire child. But most of all, the fact that she was nice to everyone,  
no matter what the circumstances. Except, apparently, to Leo Valdez.

She hoped Leo would keep the secret, and not go blabbing. But something told her that Leia could trust Leo. He looked like a trustworthy person. But you couldn't tell. Something about him rubbed Leia the wrong way. His eyes showed that he was keeping something from her, but she couldn't tell what. she was puzzled and didn't notice that a dark haired girl had slid into the seat across from her. " Hi." the girl greeted her. She had spikey black hair, and bright blue eyes. Judging by her face, she was maybe 16. " I'm Thalia. I saw you and Leo arguing over here. Man you got him good." Thalia smiled her freckled cheeks dimpling. Leia looked at her and saw something familiar about her eyes. " You're Jason's sister aren't you?" Leia asked. Thalia nodded.

" By the way, what is up with that kid? He is very...frustrating." Thalia began to laugh. " Oh, he's just...  
Leo. He doesn't appreciate himself much, and tries to draw attention to himself. I guess being annoying is just his way of getting attention. It's kind of pathetic, actually." Then he's exactly the same as me, Leia thought.  
" But, he is a great friend, and Jason should be lucky." Thalia finished.

Thalia looked over at a group of picnic tables. Leo was standing by one of them, flailing his arms and yelling something, while Jason, and another girl were cracking up. Leia laughed. " What is he doing?" she asked Thalia.  
" Complaining about you, I imagine.". Leia blinked in confusion. They were complaining about each other at the same time? Creepy. " Hmmm... you know, Leo has never been this worked up about a girl before. I think he likes you. I mean seriously. Not like he liked Khione." Leia's eyes widened. Someone liked her? Amazing, she thought. She looked at Thalia uncertainly. She nodded, and got up. " You look shocked. There's no reason to.  
You are very attractive.". Thalia walked away.

Leia cocked her head to the side, thinking about this. No one had ever liked her before. At least not like that.  
She drummed her fingers on the cardboard cup and got a wierd feeling, like she was being watched. She turned around and caught Leo looking at her from his picnic table. He turned away quickly, face red. She smiled. Busted. But then she realized her face was bright, too. Leia hoped Leo hadn't seen.

She didn't want to get her hopes up, in case she was completely wrong. She hoped that she wasn't, because she'd begun to like Leo Valdez.

And it seemed like everyone wanted them together, including the love goddess.  



	3. Meeting of the Matchmakers

Leo's Problem

Chapter 2.5 The Meeting of Matchmakers

Piper paced back and forth, looking down at the three gathered members. Her eyes were narrowed in a business like manner. Annabeth Chase and Reyna sat cross legged, while Thalia leaned against the wall. " Right. You are probably wondering why I have gathered you here today. The answer is love." Thalia raised her eyebrows like she knew where Piper was going with the discussion. Annabeth was now thoroughly confused, which made her testy. " Piper, what are you talking about?" she asked. Piper held up her finger to silence Annabeth.  
" The order of business today is Leo Valdez. Thalia knows exactly what I mean. Leo has recently met someone he likes, who likes him back." Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. Almost like she couldn't believe it. " Someone likes Leo back? That's good. But who? I haven't noticed Leo hanging around with any girls except me and Piper.  
Well, but.. Nyssa's his sister." Thalia began to laugh hysterically. She touched Annabeth's arm. " Oh, Gods,  
no, Annabeth! It's a Roman girl." Reyna perked up, as if it had something to do with her.

" One of us? Who in Jupiter's name would like someone like Valdez?" Annabeth and Piper looked offended. " Hey,  
Leo's a great guy! He's just lonesome, and... annoying." Annabeth defended him. Reyna didn't say anything. Maybe it was a good thing, and Leo would stop flirting with her. Piper was reading her mind it seemed, because the next thing she said was, " He'll stop flirting. That's a good thing.". Thalia nodded vigorously. Piper thanked the gods that Jason would beat the pulp out of Leo if he tried anything. " Her name is Leia Rodriguez.". It was Thalia who spoke. Reyna looked alarmed, and blinked. " Which is why we invited you to help us. I figured you'd know more about her than us." Piper offered. Reyna nodded, then asked the question.  
Help you what? " Play matchmaker, of course!" Piper exclaimed.

They looked at Piper like she was insane. Shock registered over their faces, then agreement. "Fine." Piper smiled and got out a notebook. " Wonderful. Now Reyna, who is Leia's godly parent?" Reyna answered in a heartbeat: Caca, goddess of Fire. Piper thought about that. The children of two fire gods. Interesting.  
"Favorite past time?" "The girl can practically fix anything! She's a wonderful mechanic."  
"Perfect for each other already! Does she like anything else?"  
" Well, she sings alot, if that's any specification."

Piper's eyes glimmered. Leia and Leo were perfect for each other, whether they knew it or not. " Now we need a plan." The girls stared excitedly at eachother. Annabeth stood up. " Athena always has a plan." She smirked.

Aphrodite looked down at her daughter with pride. " Piper McLean, you aare officially my favorite daughter."  
Her daughter was following her footsteps, and Aphrodite couldn't be happier. " But," she said, " you are going to need help.". She'd wanted to find someone for Leo for a long time, but couldn't find someone special enough. Now she'd found her. And she would not get away... With a smile, she planted a plan into the daughter of Athena's brain.  
_

The girls met again the next morning to make sure the plan was in order. Leo would be tutored by the best mechanic at camp. Leia. They would ask him to go find the mechanic and tell him that he would be given tips about fixing problems quickly on something as big as the Argo II. They just wouldn't tell him who it was. Leia had already been informed about her tudoring oppertunity with a son of Hephaestus who wanted to learn more.  
She was terribly excited. And so were the girls, who would be watching the two during the 'tutoring session'.  
" Ready?" Annabeth asked. They nodded. It was fun time. 


	4. Chapter 3 Leo

Leo's Problem

Chapter 3 Leo

He woke up bright and early, mostly because of a certain statue called Terminus. He groaned and rolled over, trying to resist the urge to slap the statue. " Why?" Leo complained. " Because," Terminus moodily answered, " Reyna would like to speak with you. Or else." Uh oh. He had no idea what that meant, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. So he grudgingly sat up, to find Reyna standing at the foot of his bed. " Leo Valdez, you must get dressed. You will be spending the day with a highly honored mechanic. She has agreed to tutor you and hopes to improve your skills.". Leo blinked, and thought, Why do I need to be improved?

" I don't mean to offend, but the entire crew of the Argo II wants to make sure you know what to do in case of emergency. That's where she comes in. She knows what she is doing and is more than happy to help." Okay, then. He studied Reyna. Her hair was braided down the side, and her brown eyes just looked at him. Funny. When they'd arrived to Camp Jupiter, he'd been all Leo de Bergerac, but now she didn't seem at all as pretty. At least, not as pretty as Leia. He shook his head. Man, get a hold of yourself.  
She is totally out of your league. But lately, everyone was. " Leo!," Reyna exclaimed, snapping him out of his trance. He mumbled an apology, and she left. Terminus had already left.

He climbed off the bunk, and pulled on a pair of jeans and black tee shirt, and of course, his toolbelt. He ran a comb through his hair quickly, and left the building. He was immediately greeted by the blinding sun, and Leo covered his eyes. Part of it was the fact he didn't know who this chick was. But what was puzzling him was his encounter with Leia the day before. When her hand had flared up, he'd wanted to have a heart attack and die. At first, he'd thought it was a Roman thing, but then she'd confessed she was the only one at her camp with the ability. She'd also hinted that heat didn't bother her. She wasn't the only one, he grimly noted. He held up his pointer finger and willed it to flare. It sparked a flame. He put his hand down. Well, no point in thinking about that. There was no chance she'd talk to him again.

" LEO!" Annabeth's voice brought him back to reality. " I do not want to die, so go meet her for your study session!" Leo backed up. " Where do I meet her?" he asked. Annabeth pointed towards the Temple of Zeus. An explosion went off. Oh how reassuring! He slowly made his way up the hill, dreading the moment he blew up. The grass by the temple was covered in grease, and an old cadillac was parked in the middle of it all. Leo gasped at it's beauty. A girl, his "teacher" stood, taking in the scene.  
Her black hair was tucked up into an old baseball cap, and she wore overalls over a purple shirt. He faintly heard her speaking in... Spanish? "En un par de momentos ... esta ser la forma m s segura de la m quina el mundo ha conocido." the girl muttered. Leo almost thought she said, " In a couple of moments... this will be the safest machine the world has known.". But that was impossible. That was the Volvo. Everyone knew that.

She pulled out a remote from her pocket, and hit a green button. A piece of rubbish, like the stuff that comes off a semi's tire shot out of nowhere, towards the windsheild.  
Leo let out a strangled gulp. No way was this idiot going to ruin a treasure like this. But at the last moment, a purple orb surrounded the car, and the rubbish bounced off and hit the ground. The girl stopped dead, silent. " WOW." he exhaled. The girl was still stone still, but let out a squeal of delight. She laughed madly, and tossed her cap into the air, and her curly hair tumbled from the inside. Wait, a minute, Leo thought. He'd only ever seen one person with hair like that. And sure enough, as she began to dance around she spotted him and froze. " Valdez?" Leia wondered.

At the moment, the only thing Leo could think of was how good Leia looked. Her hair was frizzed out, and smudges of black were on her face. Her overalls were kind of large and were a bit long. But Leo thought she was gorgeous. So of course, his next word wasn't very bright. " Uh... Hi." he said, wincing at his stupidity. She smiled. " You're the son of Hephaestus? Well, then. Anyway, was that not cool?". Leo wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He could never do something like that. " Yeah. That was... freakin' awesome!"  
His face cracked a grin, and Leia's eyes lit up. His heart skipped a beat. She bent over and pulled a wrench from the toolbox he'd failed to notice. Nice, Leo. " OK,"  
Leia announced, " let's get cracking."

They worked until lunchtime on the car, and all the time they talked. " Were you speaking Spanish back there?" Leo asked. She rolled her eyes at him. " Yes, Valdez, we latinos tend to do that.". Leo stuck out his tongue, and Leia giggled. Wait, she giggled at that!, Leo thought. " It's just, you don't look Latino." he said cautiously. She laughed, a sound like bells. " Well, the only real Latino physical trait I have is the hair.". Before he could think, Leo disagreed. " No, you've got the big brown eyes.". He blushed, and he noticed her face was almost like a cherry. " Maybe we should take a break," she suggested. He quickly agreed. It had gone from fun to tense in two seconds.

Leia pulled a metal pail from behind the bench, and pulled the cloth off of the pail. She sighed as the smell wafted from inside. Leo's stomach growled. She pulled two styrofoam plates from the bucket, and passed one to Leo. Next came something Leo hadn't seen in years. Tamales. Leia cut it in half and put one half onto Leo's plate, and the other on hers. Leo stared at it bewilderedly. She noticed his expression, and said, " Leo, is something wrong?". He was so preocuppied that he almost didn't notice her use of his first name. Almost. " I haven't had one of these since my mother died.".

" Oh. I'm sorry. Leo?"

" Yeah?"

" You won't tell, will you? About what you saw yesterday?"

" No. I wouldn't do that. I know what it's like to have an unwanted secret.".


	5. Chapter 4 Leia

Leo's Problem

Chapter 4 Leia

After Leo had promised to keep her secret, things got awkward fairly quickly. Leia wanted to ask about his secret, but she didn't want to seem pushy. She bit her lip. " You know, you're pretty good with a wrench. I didn't expect you to be." she complimented him. He turned to look at her, and she was glad to see his face had faintly turned pink. " You think so?" he asked. Leia nodded. She didn't just randomly praise people; in fact, the last person she complimented... She put the thought away. She would cry if she kept thinking about her dad. " Hey," Leo said, sounding concerned. " You okay?". She wiped a tear from her face. " Just... thinking about my father. Gods, it always has to be my fault." She shook her head. He asked what she meant, and she was perfectly willing to answer. Their plates were growing cold beside them, but Leia told her story.

" I was born in San Antonio, Texas. My father was an aspiring chef, and meeting Mom didn't help. He fell in love with her and I was the result. I grew up, practically living in his resteraunt, El Caca. I quickly learned the trade of mechanics, and also learned a thing or two about food. It wasn't enough. My Aunt Rosalita made it clear I wasn't wanted,  
all because I was different. First of all, I was probably the only child on Earth who could summon fire, plus, I was... too smart, they said. Ha! Obviously not, because I screwed everything up. Even my father's life. See, I'd been working late, and we were about to leave for home. I can't really remember what happened, but I flared up like a firework, and everything caight on fire." Her voice shook a little. " I killed my father that night.". Now tears were falling quickly. Leo looked away, his face was really red now. A trickle of sweat rolled down his brow, and he seemed agitated.

Great, now the only person she'd ever liked thought she was a phsyco. All of a sudden, she realized it was getting dark already. Wow, time really flies when you cry, Leia thought bitterly. Then something happened, that she wasn't sure had happened. She felt something fall across her hand, and when she looked down she was shocked to find Leo's hand over her's. She then felt the heat rise up to her face and silently hoped that he couldn't see her face. It was probably lit up like a neon light. Leia chuckled.  
" Hmm?" Leo wondered aloud. " Reyna is probably going off her rocker, right now. She probably thinks we're sitting here making out, or something." Leo muttered something. " What? I didn't catch that." " I didn't say anything." He made the excuse quickly. Too quickly. His hand was still on top of her's and she felt it heat up. Leia looked at his hand before realizing what had happened. " Leo... Look at your hand, Leo." was her quiet reaction. Her eyes were probably huge, because that was not her. Leo yelped as he realized his hand was on fire, and just as quick as it happened, it was gone.

" Oh my Gods! They're holding hands! How cute!" Piper squealed. Thalia, Annabeth, and Reyna looked out from behind the bush. Sure enough, there was Leo, his hand placed over Leia's. " Piper, you okay? You sound like Lacy." Annabeth asked. Piper cleared her throat and apoligised for getting into the moment. They watched the two lovebirds for a moment before they heard a comment that changed everything. Leia laughed. " Reyna is probably going of her rocker, right now. She probably thinks we're sitting here making out, or something." Reyna choked. " Did she really just say that?" she whispered. Piper nodded, practically bouncing up and down. That's when everything turned sour. Leo's hand caught fire, from nervousness, Annabeth decided. Reyna's mouth dropped open. " Why is Leo's hand on fire? Ok, excuse my mistake, why was his hand just on fire?".

" Oh, well, Leo has power over fire. But he hasn't exactly got control of it completely." Thalia rushed to explain. Great, Reyna thought, why would I be nervous about a human lighter in my camp? Meanwhile, things with the couple weren't going well.  
_

Her eyes were still wide from his unexpected spark. " Is there something you aren't telling me?". Leo was silent before explaining. " Suprise! I have that power, too. I almost fainted when I saw you do that. I thought I was the only one, until I met you. It's actually nice. And we have alot more in common than you think." Leia laughed nervously.  
" Well, you could have told me before I had a coronary! But... why do you say we have alot in common? You've got a big ego, and I've got a big brain." She couldn't believe she'd just said that. She squeezed her eyes, waiting for the blow. It didn't come, at least, not the way she'd expected. " Thanks," she heard him say. " I'm glad you think so.  
And by the way, you also have a big ego for saying you have a big brain. Because you obviously don't use it." The sound of his retreating footsteps echoed in her ears.

" Gods, you're stupid, Leia. It is always you're fault. You killed your father, and your first relationship. It wasn't even that. Just a crush. And you can't even keep that!"  
She sank onto the ground. But, either way, he'd shown her why she'd never had a boyfriend. She was egotistical, and unrealistic. And she hated herself. She wasn't pretty, or special. Just a freak. But, if that was true, so was Leo. She thought about his comparison of the two. It was true that they both liked building things, had lost parents,  
both had huge egos, and had fire powers. The only thing that differed, was pretty much, the fact that he was attractive. She pulled her knees up against her chest and cried.  
He was right about everything. Which was weird, because men were almost never right.

I suck, she thought, as she drifted to sleep, still leaning against the bench...

" I will kill him!" Piper growled as Thalia lifted Leia from the grass. Her cheeks her streaked with tears, and her eyes were puffy. She muttered, " I'm sorry." before falling back asleep. Annabeth looked at Leia with pity. When she'd gotten into a fight with Percy, she cried just like that. " Reyna, which barrack does she stay in?" Reyna led them to one of the buildings, just across from the fifth cohort, where they were staying. They laid her on Leia's bunk, where she turned over and snored a little. Thalia smiled sadly.  
" I think we need to talk to Valdez tomorrow morning." she suggested. They all nodded. 


	6. Chapter 5 Leo

Leo's Problem

Chapter 5 Leo

He would never get sleep in this camp, Leo decided as something hit his head. Last night had been long and trying, and he just wanted to forget it. But of course, no one would let him. He opened his eyes to find Thalia standing over him, ready to smack him with a pillow. Her eyes were filled with frustration and anger. " Valdez, you've got some explaining to do! What did you do to that girl?" Thalia bugged him as he rolled out of bed. He hadn't changed from yesterday, and his hands were covered in grime. " Who,  
Rodriguez? Nothing." Leo shrugged. Thalia tsked. " Rodriguez? That's not what you called her last night." she said knowingly. His head shot up. " How do you know about that?"

" You're blushing!"

" What? No, I'm not!" He felt his neck. " Dang. Don't change the subject. How did you know?"

Thalia rolled her eyes, like she couldn't register how dense he was. " Lord Zeus, Leo! We set you up, and watched it happen. All of it." Leo shut his eyes, silently waiting for the storm. " You know what she said was only her defense system. She's had a hard life Leo, just like you. And that defense system shut off as soon as you left. And it wasn't pretty. After last night, I'm surprised she didn't pledge herself to Artemis then and there." Leo was bewildered at that. Had he really been that bad? " It was that bad?" Thalia nodded. Leo began to regret everything he'd said. He ran last night through his mind, remembering the things he'd said. Ouch. He rubbed the back of his neck.

" You could have just told her there at the cafe you knew what it was was like. It wouldn't have scared her as much. Remember, she thought that she was the only one. And then you pretty much gave her a heart attack. She was probably upset you hadn't already told her. Annabeth, Piper, Reyna and I set you up for a reason. You are perfect for eachother. If only Luke had- Anyway, you did not hear what she said after you'd left." Leo had heard the pause after she'd mentioned Luke. " You were in love with him,  
weren't you?" he asked carefully. Thalia inhaled sharply. " Yes. You like each other, if that comment about her eyes is any suggestion, so I suggest you talk to her. But USE CAUTION. She cried herself to sleep last night, and we had to carry her back to her bunker. She looks a mess, so be careful what you say. Go now, Leo."

It seemed like a long walk, but it wasn't even a minute. The things he would try to say kept jumbling up in his mind, and he didn't want to upset her any more. Piper stood by the door, and seemed happy to see Leo. " I offered to clean her up, but she refused. She's quite spirited." Piper chuckled. Then she frowned, warning him with her eyes. BE CAREFUL, they seemed to say. He slowly walked inside the room. At first he didn't see her, but then he spotted her. Leia sat by the window on her bunk playing with some gears and a screwdriver. " Leia?" he asked. She slightly turned her head enough to see the tip of her nose was pink. " Leo," was her forced reply. He walked towards her bunk and sat on the corner. " Why are you here Leo? You made it clear what I am last night. An egotistical snob whom you wanted nothing to do with." she questioned, turning to look at him.  
His heart nearly stopped at the sight of her face. Her curly hair hung limp by the sides of her face, and there were dirt stains on her face, streaked with tear marks. Her eyes were no longer their warm color, they were now mud brown. Pink rimmed her eyes. Thalia wasn't kidding. Wait, did she say murderer?

" I'm really sorry about what I said last night. I just get really touchy when people say I'm full of myself. Jason mentioned that once, and we were trying to kill each other. It was my natural reaction." She weakly smiled. " It's okay. The reason I said what I did was because you hadn't told me that you could do that already. I mean, I've lived fifteen years thinking I was a freak. And you waited that long to tell me I wasn't? It was sort of a slap in the face." Leo raised his eyebrows. " You think you're a freak? Try accidentally killing your mother, and then having you're aunt call you a diablo, and having to bounce from foster home to foster home. Try being labelled the Valdez kid after burning imprints of your hands into a picnic table. Oh, and being put into a fireplace by a crazy goddess." He stopped, as Leia started to laugh. " Wow. You might as well be one of the seven with a history like that." Leo looked down and started to pull the thread from his jacket. " Oh gods, I opened my big mouth again. There's another reason I'm confused why we're alike. You're so quiet." Leo stared at her for a moment as he was wondering if she'd actually said that. Then he laughed. " Hey Piper!" he called out, " Leia thinks I'm quiet!" A hysterical HA! came from the doorway. The sound of Piper's laugh sent them over the edge. They laughed so hard they were holding their sides. " L-Leo? Wh-what do w-we have in c-common?" she wondered aloud, trying not to laugh.

Leo thought for a moment. " Well... we both have our freaky fire powers. You know, Jason suggested I catch on fire, then jump off a building yelling,' Flame on!'" Leia knit her eyebrows. " I don't know," she began, " I think I'd be yelling something a little stronger than ' Flame on!'..." Leo looked at her oddly. " That's exactly what I said." he said in disbelief. She raised her eyebrows. " Well, what else do we have in common?"

" Let's see... flame powers, we're both pretty much orphans, we are both wicked mechanics, sarcasm, we're both very attractive... that's only some. Oh, and you've got a magic toolbox." She laughed before realizing what he'd just insinuated. " What did you say?" Leo winced. Maybe Thalia was wrong and she didn't like him.

" Uhhh...you've got a magic toolbox?"

" No, before that."

" Uhhh... sarcasm?"

" After that?"

" What that we're both attractive? Well, maybe my ego was swollen when I said that. You're the good-looking one."

She blushed slightly. Her eyes had returned to normal, but her nose was still kind of pink. " That's new." she muttered. Leo thought he misheard her. Had she just said it was new to be attractive? That was interesting. Before he could ask, she'd asked her own question. " You think I'm pretty?". Now he was sure he heard her right. " What?  
You had to ask? Really, is this the first time someone has told you you're pretty?" She nodded. " Well, they sure miss out." Her eyes sparkled when he said that, and before he knew what was happening, he was kissing her.  



	7. Chapter 6 Leia

Leo's Problem

Chapter 6 Leia

He pulled away hesitantly, with a nervous look on his features. Was he afraid that Leia would reject him? Not likely, she thought with a mental snort. A smile spread across her face and he seemed relieved. " I'm really sorry, Leo, for how I acted last night. I'm just really...touchy... about my powers." she apologised. He frowned; " I really do understand. You have nothing to apologise for, anyway. If you accidentally kill a parent, like we think we did, and live with the guilt, then anything is understandable. Except what I did." Leia frowned disapprovingly. " You are a great person, Leo. Don't worry about something like that, such a small thing." He looked incredulous at the notion of it being nothing to worry about. " I literally left you to cry yourself to sleep! Don't tell me that's nothing to worry about." Leo grabbed her hands, and a blush creeped up her neck, and she knew he could see it.

" I meant what I said about you being pretty, and I still do. I will always blame myself for what I insinuated, and you cannot feel guilty about it." He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips back to hers, and her eyelids fluttered close. It was like fireworks, Leia noted, and... a mariachi band? What? Oh... she vaguely remembered her father telling her about his first kiss with her mother. " It was like a big mariachi band in my mind," he'd said. Leia giggled a little, causing Leo to stop. He gazed at her oddly; " Something wrong?" he asked her. Leia laughed outright, thinking about her father. " I just thought of something my father said. About the first time he kissed Caca. He said it was like a great big band behind his eyelids."

Then Leo raised his eyebrows and cracked up, and once again they sat on her bunk, laughing wildly. " Funny, my mom said something similar. Except she said it was a very fast tango.". Leia stood up, and held out her grease-smudged hand. He took it cautiously, and she tugged him towards her. Leia placed his hand on her waist, and took the other in her hand holding it out towards the sky. She then put her other hand on his shoulder. Tango position. " Ready?" Leia warned. " I assume you know the tango, Mr. Valdez?".  
He narrowed his eyes, and waggled his eyebrows. It took all her power not to laugh at his face. " Indeed," Leo played along, " I do, fair lady." He spun her around and, they began to walk with long, stiff strides. They spun around, and Leia's foot hooked behind his ankle for the next move. He apparently forgot this move, and fell to the floor in a heap, Leia on top of him.

They stared at eachother awkwardly, as they took in their position. " Well," came Piper's voice, " isn't this just a sight to see! Leia, Leo, get out here, before things happen." She clumsily got up, and once again pulled him up. Their faces were red from what Piper had said, and they avoided eachother's gaze. " Leia?" he said. She looked toward him, ready for a call off of recent events. " Would you be my girlfriend?" Or maybe not. " I think I can agree to that. After that kiss, I think that's the best thing for us." His face lit up, and she smiled contentedly as she entwined her fingers with his. They walked towards the door as Piper let out a bloodcurdling shriek. It was like a mix between the banshee and Spongebob's sceram. They rushed out the door, to find Piper standing over a... intimate couple, making out on the grass. That's not why she was horrified though... Thalia, Daughter of Zeus, stood up and brushed the grass off her jacket, while Nico, Son of Hades, sat on the ground, looking confused.

Whoa, she thought, stepping backwards. " Thalia! In Jupiter's name!" she reprimanded her. " Believe it or not," she said, " that was my first kiss! And will be my last."  
And judging by the look on Nico's face, he was disappointed by that. Leo stood, shellshocked, staring at where they had just been.

" Leo?"

" But I-"

" Leo."

" She just-"

" LEO!"

He looked back at her, still sounding hurt. She rolled her eyes. " Leo, Leo, Leo. You have a girlfriend now. You're not forever alone, now." She smiled at him, and he smirked.  
" That's right! Hey, Jason!" he called across the camp, and Jason cast his sight towards the two. Leo towed her over to where he was sitting. " Hey," Jason greeted Leia. " It's been a while." She smiled brightly, glad to see her old friend. " Yeah. Anyway, I think that Leo wanted to show off his new girlfriend. That's probably why we're over here."  
Jason widened his eyes at Leo, obviously shocked by the fact he'd gotten a girlfriend. She couldn't wait to tell him about his sister's newfound relationship. " Really? Good job, man! It took me months to finally admit to Piper that I liked her." Leo made a whoopdedo motion with his hands. " Yes, it definitely seems like it's Love Day. Even Thalia found someone!" Leia said. Jason saw Thalia and Nico making out over her shoulder, and was about to go over there, when Leo stopped him. " Dude. Let it be." Leo said, to the tune of the Beatles. She rolled her eyes, and Jason just shook his head. " Wow. So, when are you going to tell her about your freaky powers?" Jason waggled his fingers.

" I already know. That's what we were fighting about. I was hurt that he hadn't told me that he could summon fire when we met." Leia explained. Leo whispered in her ear, " Go ahead, show him. It's not gonna make a difference.". She shrugged and held up her hand, willing it to catch fire. Jason almost died of shock. He clutched his chest, and rasped.  
Leo then let his hand catch on fire, and entwined his hand with hers. They walked away, leaving Jason to hyperventilate. 


	8. Chapter 7 Together

Leo's Problem

Chapter 7 Together

It had been two weeks since Leo and Leia had gotten together, and things got sadder as the time went by. It was time for the Argo II to set sail to the sky, with the seven prophecy children. Leo, included. The day had come when they truly realized that Leo might not come back, and Leia wasn't willing to let go of him for an instant, even for a second. When they woke up on this very quiet morning, they went straight to each other, not even eating. Leia was distraught, for she had fallen head over heels in love with Leo Valdez, and now he was leaving. Leo was silent, knowing that the world rested upon the seven's shoulders. If they screwed it up, it would mean certain death.

Leia rushed from the barracks, and into Leo's, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him for all she was worth. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed back,  
knowing he loved this girl with his flaming heart. " Let me go, instead." she whispered. His head snapped up, and his eyes blazed. " No." he dismissed. When she tried to argue,  
he looked into his eyes. " No, I will not live with knowing that you died, because of a decision I made. I'm meant to do this, even if Jason and Percy could do it all by themselves." She slapped him. " There is your fatal flaw, knocking on the door. They couldn't do it without you, mi amor. Without you, they will lose hope, without you and your corny jokes, they will lose themselves. You are not inferior to everyone else.". Leo was still rubbing his face when he realised she was right. They were always so pessimistic,  
they thought that they would step in the middle of dog poop wherever they went.

" I've got to go meet the others, Leia. Gods, I am going to miss you, though." he said into her hair. Leia began to cry, silent sobs, and the tears ran down her face. " I know. But I can't stop worrying about you, Valdez. I love you." she choked out. Did she really just say those three words? " I love you, too, Leia." he whispered. He pulled away from her, gave her a small smile, and walked away. And she promised herself not to cry anymore.

The seven stood beside the rope ladder to the Argo II, ready to climb aboard. " Good travels, to the questors. We have faith in this journey, and in all of you. Please take this time to say goodbye to anyone you have yet to say it to.". Silence was there, until Leia ran towards Leo, and flying tackle hugged him. He laughed as she hit him. They were aware of everyone watching the exchange, but didn't mind. " I will be waiting with a mariachi band." she joked, and everyone laughed, though only the two understood.  
" And I with better tango skills." he said, and Jason snorted. He gave Jason a death glare. Leia reched her face forward, and kissed him softly, holding up her left hand.  
He saw her hand, and put his against Leia's, willing it to flame up. When it did, a gasp echoed around the crowd, and she willed hers to do the same. There they stood, two teenagers holding flaming hands while everone watched. The gasps got louder as they realised that both hands were flaming. " I love you, Leia. I'll be back soon." he promised.

She chuckled lowly. " Not soon enough, mi amor." They slowly drifted apart, Leia heading back to her place in the crowd. It was short lived, the sadness, because Octavion winced and pulled Reyna over to him for a nice little chat. " Now that Jackson's going, I want the Praetorship." Reyna scoffed at him. " Like I'd give it to you! Plus, you do realize that if you were Praetor, you couldn't go on reading stuffing entrails, right?". He nodded, and leaned towards her ear. " The only reason I want it is so that we'd be together." Octavion whispered audibly. He leaned in and smacked his lips on to Reyna's, causing her to push him backwards with a look of disgust on her face. " Ugh!"  
she shivered. Leia burst out laughing, as did everyone else. The only one to really feel sorry for him was Frank, who was watching with an amused but sorry look on his face.  
The seven then climbed up the ladder, and flew away.

Nearly three months later, a horn blew over Camp Jupiter. Leia's head snapped up, and she cast her gaze upwards, hopefully. Sure enough, there was the Argo II, floating above them, a rope ladder descending. She ran towards the spot underneath, not caring that Reyna was calling her back. Annabeth came down first, Percy next, Jason third, Piper fourth,  
Frank fifth, and Hazel sixth. Wait. Where was Leo? " Annabeth," she said breathlessly, " where's Leo?" Annabeth cast her gaze towards Percy, who was red. " Leo... is still on the ship." Uneasiness crept into her throat as she began to climb the rope, and with a glance Annabeth nodded. She reached the top within moments and swung her legs over the side. It was amazing, the laptop deck, the... wii controllers. Everything but the thing she wanted to see. She saw a set of stairs leading under the deck and she quietly went down the steps. Bunks were neatly arranged in rows, and Leo was on the one farthest away. Leia cautiosly walked towards him. Leo must have heard her, because he spun around to face her.

A scar ran from his cheekbone to his jaw line, and it was already white. It would stay there, probably forever. His face spread into a grin. " Leia." He stood up and immediately wobbled. " Ooh, jetlag." he said. She pushed him back on the bunk, and said in a demanding tone, " Sleep.". He grabbed her wrist at the last moment and pulled her down with him.  
" Stay with me," he whispered, drawing her close. She gave him a gentle kiss, and wrapped his arm around her. They fell asleep like that, with their arms wrapped around eachother.

THE END 


	9. Author's Note

**Ok, hi this is ladybug 28, an I would really appreciate it if you'd read this for me. I want to thank everyone who has read this story, and you can review it if you want to see Leia Rodriguez return, or if not just tell me. If you have any questions at all, just PM me. I know it probably sucked eggs, but it's only my second fanfic. If you liked it, I'm also writing a harry potter fanfic called A switched desicion taking place when harry's parents are at school that includes Snape getting his nose slammed in the door, and Lily's raging mood swings!**

**Thanks y'all,**

**ladybug28**


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